Sometimes Change Can Be A Good Thing (part 1 of 2)
by alishatorn
Summary: A Huntbastian McKinley AU. When Hunter Clarington moves to Ohio, he doesn't quite make it to Westerville. (For the anon who requested an AU where Hunter and Sebastian go to McKinley.)


**PART ONE. **

Hunter Clarington spent a lot of time in the McKinley library.

His family had moved to Ohio mid-semester and he didn't have any friends yet, so he mostly spent his afternoons doing homework here. He missed military school— the form and the structure there gave him purpose, and he felt a pang every time he thought about the handful of friends he'd left behind. They were the rough and tumble sort, but they were good guys. The kind that always had his back.

He tugged absently on the ends of his hair; it'd grown quite a bit from its military buzz, and he still wasn't used to how long it had gotten. He really needed to get a haircut one of these days.

He sighed, pushing his textbook away from him and rubbing the back of his neck. McKinley wasn't a difficult place to excel at, and the only other occupant of the library on a Friday afternoon was Sebastian Smythe. Hunter didn't know much about the guy— they had a few classes together and Hunter knew that he was part of the New Directions—but if he could say that he knew _anyone_ at McKinley, it would probably be Smythe.

He was pretty much the only student there who'd actually said more than two words to him, though Hunter suspected that it had more to do with wanting to get a closer look at his biceps during gym more than anything else. The other boy seemed to be completely at ease with his sexuality, which was strange for a public school in Ohio, but Hunter figured that it was a good thing. Despite being one of the very few openly gay students here, Sebastian was still one of the most popular kids in school.

Smythe was sitting a couple of tables away today, and he caught Hunter's eye and smirked. Clarington wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a greeting, but he nodded politely just to be safe. The librarian was nowhere in sight, and he got up to reshelf some of his books. He still had a couple of essays to finish, but he was considering just heading home and finishing them in his room. It couldn't possibly be any more pathetic than spending Friday in the library.

Hunter pulled some textbooks off the shelves and made his way back to his seat, dropping them on the table. Sebastian was gone from his seat, and he felt a brief flare of disappointment. Of course he'd have something better to do than study.

Pursing his lips, he started packing his things. He could hear the noise from the hallway—full of kids excited to see the weekend—and he was tired of spending Fridays alone. Colorado was a distant memory; he had to stop living in the past.

. . .

The first place he tried was, predictably, the football team. He knew they had practice at seven on Mondays, so he woke up early and got to the field right before they started drills. Hunter was in top physical shape and while he wasn't the best at football, he wasn't particularly bad at it either. At the very least, he could be added muscle for the team.

When he approached Coach Beiste, though, she kindly but firmly turned him down. They had more than enough members this year, and even their second string was full up. As Clarington hadn't even been part of the football team in Colorado, she really had no reason to accept him.

He tried not be too disappointed when he left the field and headed to the library. He passed Sebastian and some Asian girl putting up fliers for the New Directions, but when Smythe tried to catch his eye, he kept his head down and hurried along.

. . .

The next club he tried was the superhero club. Blaine Anderson was the head of the club and student body president to boot, and Hunter figured that it couldn't be that bad. He liked comic books and he liked comic book movies, and sitting around and talking about them sounded like fun.

When he arrived at the designated room, however, everyone was dressed in full costume and he didn't recognize a single character.

Blaine looked up, beaming. "Are you interested in joining us, new kid?" he asked in a friendly voice, and Hunter shook his head slowly, backing away.

"I was looking for the bathroom," he said. "Sorry."

He turned on his heel and left before Anderson could say anything.

Hunter was in such a hurry to get to the library that he didn't even notice Sebastian rounding the corner, and he smacked into him _hard_. They went down in a tangle of limbs and Hunter's books went flying.

"_Shit,_" he muttered, flushing hotly. He got up and started picking his things up, avoiding Smythe's gaze. "Sorry, man. Didn't see you."

"Not a problem," Sebastian said, handing him one of his books. Their fingers brushed and Smythe raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Heading to the library again?"

Hunter frowned. "No," he lied, snatching his book away. "The library is for losers."

He ignored Sebastian's confused look and turned away, walking briskly down the hall. He was more determined than ever to find a club now, so he'd never have to spend another Friday moldering with his books.

. . .

By the time the next weekend rolled around, Hunter was getting desperate. He'd tried every single sports team that he was even remotely interested in—from synchronized swimming to track and field—but none of them were a good fit. Either the coaches insisted they were full up or the kids were just plain _weird_ (that Sam guy from swimming looked _way_ too happy strutting around in his tiny red swim trunks), and Hunter had no intention of parading around in a tiny strip of spandex that barely covered his junk.

It wasn't that he was ashamed of his body or anything, but he wanted to be part of a team where he wasn't treated like a piece of meat.

When the final bell rang, Hunter got up and headed to the library. The only club left that he was even remotely interested in was the glee club, and he already knew that that wasn't an option. He pushed open the door and headed to the spot he was already starting to consider as 'his'. He was there so often, after all, that he was surprised that he hadn't started growing roots.

He sat down and started unpacking his books, bracing himself for yet another boring Friday afternoon.

It wasn't long before the door swung open, and Sebastian Smythe walked in. Hunter was a little surprised to see him, and he was even more surprised when the other made a beeline for him.

"Can I help you?" he asked, as Sebastian pulled up a chair and straddled it.

"So I hear you're looking for a club, Clarington," he said, a smirk playing across his lips. "And I thought to myself, why not invite this poor sap to New Directions, seeing as how we're a misfit band of losers who're in need of another warm body for regionals."

"No, thanks," Hunter said, frowning. "I can't sing."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to sing," he said. "We're short a member because Jake broke his ankle; we're going to be disqualified if we don't find someone to replace him. All you have to do is sway in the background—no one's even going to notice you."

Hunter looked down. "I don't think it's a good idea," he said.

"Why the hell not? You're looking for people to hang out with, right?" Sebastian asked. "Why else would you hit every club in McKinley in the past two weeks?"

Clarington glared, annoyed. When he put it that way, he made him sound like the most pathetic asshole at school. "Why would I want to hang out with, as you put it, a misfit band of losers?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sebastian's smirk grew even wider. "Because as lame as they are, none of them are stuck in a library alone on a Friday afternoon," he said pointedly.

That stung. Hunter's lip twisted as he scraped his chair back, grabbing his books and shoving them into his backpack. "Fuck off, Smythe," he said, heading to the door.

"If you change your mind, practice is at five!" Sebastian called out behind him.

. . .

Hunter was actually a pretty good dancer and a great singer, but he'd lost all confidence after what had happened at his old school. He'd managed to bring his military academy choir all the way to regionals, but once there, he'd choked on his solo and they'd ended up in last place. It had almost been a blessing when his parents had had to move away because it meant that he could push his failures to the back of his mind and forget about them.

His closest friends hadn't cared of course, but Hunter wasn't the type who took defeat gracefully. He'd been angry at himself and quit the club during the beginning of his senior year, and had vowed to never join another show choir again.

He ran a hand through his hair as he found a seat at the quad, laying his books out all around him. There were dozens of kids milling around and he found them noisy and distracting, but it was better than having Smythe harass him.

He could hear the faint strains of the New Directions harmonizing through an open window, and he set his jaw and blocked them out.

Show choir just wasn't in the cards for him. Not anymore.

. . .

Eventually, Hunter gave up on finding a club and resigned himself to spending the majority of his senior year in the library. It had gotten so bad that he actually started asking teachers for extra credit work despite the fact the fact that he was already a straight A student.

He also spent a lot of time at the gym, but he could really only do so many reps at the bench press before his arms gave out. Jake and Ryder were there a lot and they seemed like cool guys, but they were sophomores and members of New Directions to boot, so Hunter kept his distance.

And then, of course, there was Sebastian.

The other boy had apparently made it his purpose in life to bug Hunter at the library regularly, and he was finding it more and more difficult to keep him at arm's length. The problem was that Clarington was so starved for communication that he was willing to take whatever small talk Sebastian threw his way, even when he kept bugging him about joining his glee club.

To be fair, Sebastian didn't bring up New Directions every time he saw Hunter, but he did more often than not, and he sold it pretty well. He kept telling him that one of their members, Sugar Motta, actually can't carry a tune at all, and that she was pretty much just there to dance and fill in the body count. He teased Hunter often and told him that if they just needed a warm body, it might as well be someone as good-looking as him.

Hunter tried not to be flattered by that, but he actually really was. The complications of sexuality aside, this was not the first time he'd found another guy attractive, but it was the first time that he actually wanted to _do_ something about it.

In spite of himself, Hunter found that Sebastian was really growing on him. He looked forward to seeing him in class and was pleased whenever they sat together, and it wasn't long before Hunter began to realize that bumping into him was the high point of his day.

As far as he knew, Sebastian wasn't really seeing anybody. There were rumors about him and Anderson at one point, but Blaine was utterly devoted to his boyfriend who'd graduated last year and Sebastian treated him like any other teammate. They joked around sometimes, but that was it.

Hunter wondered if he should ask him out—on a real date, and not one where they brushed elbows in the library and he spent the next fifteen minutes hopelessly distracted.

On the one hand, Sebastian didn't really make a secret of his attraction to him, but on the other, Smythe flirted with practically _everyone_. Hunter thought it was practically a force of habit by now, but he reasoned that it couldn't hurt to ask. After all, Sebastian was out and proud, so he wasn't really running the risk of getting punched in the face or anything, and if he wasn't interested... well. Hunter wouldn't be happy, but he seemed like he'd at least let him down easily.

Smythe was already at the library when Clarington pushed the door open, and as was normal of a Friday afternoon, they were the only two people around.

"Hey," he said, pulling up a chair beside Sebastian. "How's it going?"

"Better now that you're here," Smythe said, winking. "You're right on time, Hunt. Don't you ever get tired of this place? It smells like dust mites."

Hunter shrugged. "It's not that bad," he said, grinning. "It's quiet and the view's pretty good."

Sebastian looked at him in surprise, raising an eyebrow. "…Clarington, were you just _flirting_ with me?" he asked incredulously. "Because that wasn't half bad. A little subtle, but not bad at all."

"Maybe," Hunter said, still smiling. He took his books out and started leafing through his notes. "What if I was?"

Now he had Sebastian's full attention. "I'd be surprised and flattered," he replied, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

Hunter tilted his head. "And if I asked you out?" he asked. "Say, dinner tomorrow night?"

"Then my answer would be yes," Sebastian said immediately, and Hunter felt his heart thump pleasantly in his chest.

"Awesome," he said. "Give me your address and I'll pick you up at seven."

"A take charge kind of guy," Sebastian said, grabbing his pen and scrawling his address on the back of Hunter's notebook. "I like that."

"Glad to hear it," Hunter said. He smiled and Sebastian smiled, and they sat there smiling at each other until the librarian came back from one of her ridiculously long breaks and broke the mood.

Hunter laughed nervously and turned back to his books, but he couldn't quite wipe the grin from his face.

This was the happiest he'd felt since he'd left Colorado, and it was all thanks to Sebastian Smythe.

. . .

Breadstix was the venue of choice for McKinley kids, and Hunter didn't know enough about the area yet to take Sebastian anywhere else.

The other boy didn't seem to mind, though, and Hunter recognized a few letter jackets when they got there. There were a few raised eyebrows in their direction when they slid into a booth together, but nothing major. Sebastian didn't even seem to notice.

"So," he said, crossing his arms over his chest after they'd finished ordering. "Tell me about yourself, Hunter Clarington."

Hunter laughed. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he returned. "My life's not very interesting."

"Tit for tat," Sebastian said. "I'll tell you one thing about me in exchange for whatever you tell me."

He thought about it for a bit, then nodded slowly. "Sounds fair," he said. "What do you want to know?"

Sebastian grinned. "Why are you in the library all the time?" he asked. "Don't you have hobbies?"

"I used to, but I don't anymore. The library's quiet—well, it used to be," Hunter amended, grinning a little. "And I'd go crazy if I had to spend more time at home. I like my parents and all, but the only thing more pathetic than spending weekends studying, is spending them at _home_."

Sebastian made a noise of commiseration, and he opened his mouth to ask another question, but Hunter held up a hand. "My turn, remember?" he asked, and Sebastian waved him on. "Why do you keep hanging out with me? You're one of the most popular kids in school and you've got a ton of other friends. I'm sure you could've gotten any of them to stand in for Jake."

"No one as hot," Smythe said blandly, and he laughed when Hunter blushed. "Seriously, though—you seem like you'd be a good fit. It's obvious that you could keep up with whatever physical requirements we end up throwing at you, and even if you had two left feet, I'm pretty sure I could whip you into shape. And lastly—you don't have a club and you'd be able to pour all your free time into the New Directions."

Hunter made a non-committal sound in the back of his throat. Sebastian's reasoning was solid, and he was surprised to discover that he was actually considering taking him up on his offer. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he was just in the background…?

"Think about it," Sebastian said, reaching across the table and grabbing his hand. "And it'd mean we could spend more time together." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Hunter chuckled.

"You're shameless," he said.

"And also right," Sebastian said, winking. "At least tell me you'll think about it?"

Hunter sighed. "All right, all right," he said. "No promises, but I'll think about it."

Smythe leaned back, satisfied. "That's all I ask," he said.

Their food arrived soon enough, and they spent the better part of two hours talking over dinner. Hunter glossed over his time at his old school, steering the conversation towards Sebastian. He found out that Smythe's father was a state's attorney, and that he used to go to Dalton before getting kicked out for pranking one of the Warbler council members.

"Wes had such a stick up his ass," Sebastian said, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "He needed someone to take him down a peg, and I stepped up. But apparently egging his dorm room was considered vandalism or bullying or some shit, and they kicked me out."

"Ouch," Hunter said, wincing. It didn't sound like a particularly nice thing to do, but the guys pranked each other at his old school all the time. They didn't get kicked out, but the whole squad got bathroom duty and that pretty much put a stop to prank wars really quickly.

"Yeah well, shit happens," Sebastian said. "You just gotta roll with the punches. And McKinley isn't so bad… once you get used to the stench of public school."

He stuck his hands in his pockets as they walked to the parking lot, bumping his shoulder against Hunter's. "Thanks for dinner," he said. "I had a good time."

"Me too," Hunter replied. They passed a group of kids from McKinley and a few of them waved at Smythe, and he tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"I know practically everyone at school," he said, as they got into Hunter's car. "But they're just a bunch of suck-ups. My dad's rich and money talks no matter where you are. The glee kids, though—as much as they seem like boring, do-gooder types—they're real friends. I hope you decide to drop by, Hunt."

Clarington was silent for a long moment, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. "Maybe next Friday," he said finally, offering Smythe a small smile.

Sebastian let out a relieved laugh. "Really?" he asked. "That's great!"

He leaned over and brushed his mouth against Hunter's, the contact brief but extremely pleasant. Hunter was relieved that it was dark in there, as he suspected that he was quite flushed.

"Sorry, I got excited," Sebastian said, laughing a little as he pulled away. "Was that okay?"

As far as first kisses went, it had been pretty damned good. Sebastian didn't feel like any girl that Hunter had ever kissed, but it had been undeniably pleasant. "More than okay," he said, licking his lips briefly.

The next time Sebastian leaned in, he met him halfway.

. . .

Come Monday, Hunter was looking forward to spending his free period in the library much more than usual. Sebastian had the same period free, and he joined Hunter there more often than not. He had to admit, though—after their date last Saturday, studying was the last thing on Hunter's mind.

He bit his lip as he perused the stacks of books, trying to find the text that their teacher had assigned, but his mind kept drifting to what had happened in his car. Making out with Sebastian had been much hotter than he'd thought it would be, and he couldn't stop thinking about him the entire weekend.

Hunter had never seriously entertained the idea that he might be bisexual, but he found Sebastian utterly captivating. His enthusiasm was infectious, and Hunter couldn't help but be swept along.

He heard the door to the library swing open and footsteps approach his aisle, and sure enough, Smythe himself was making his way towards him with his trademark smirk firmly in place.

"Hey, killer," he said. "Fancy meeting you here."

Sebastian crowded him against the shelf and leaned down, brushing his lips against his. "Smythe—what the hell," Hunter protested softly, but he didn't exactly push him away. If anything, he found himself enthusiastically returning Sebastian's kisses. "We're in the _library_."

"Relax, no one's here," Smythe said, pressing his mouth against the side of Hunter's neck. "I checked."

"It's still _not_—a good idea," Hunter shot back, shivering a bit as he twisted away. His face was burning and he crossed his arms over his chest, shooting Sebastian a stern look. "We're supposed to be studying."

"I _am _studying." Sebastian grinned impishly. "Finding out what makes Clarington tick is hard work, you know." He moved closer once more, bracketing his arms around Hunter's body and brushing his lips over his.

Hunter sighed. "Five minutes," he mumbled against Sebastian's mouth. "And then we're hitting the books."

"Five minutes," Sebastian said solemnly. "I promise."

Hunter ended up not cracking open a single book during his free period, but as they raced to their next class afterwards, he couldn't bring himself to care.

. . .

They didn't have any classes together on Tuesdays, but Hunter wanted to see Sebastian enough to consider dropping by to see him at glee rehearsal. They had practice on Tuesdays and Fridays, and while Hunter had promised to drop by at the end of the week, he figured it couldn't hurt to just pop his head in to see the other boy.

He'd made no promises to join the New Directions, of course, but the least he could do was see if it was a good fit. He smiled a little as he made his way down the hall at the end of their last period, heading to the choir room.

He could hear low voices inside, and one of them was unmistakably Sebastian's. He paused at the door, not wanting to intrude. Maybe he should just come back later…?

"…Jake's ankle's still not a hundred percent, Sebastian. What are we going to do about Regionals?" That was Blaine's voice, low and worried.

"Don't worry about it, killer. I'm working on Clarington—he should be showing up to practice by Friday." The confidence in Sebastian's voice made Hunter roll his eyes fondly, but Blaine's next words made him freeze.

"I really hope you're right about his voice," Blaine said. "We need another strong lead if we're going to beat the Warblers _and_ Oral Intensity."

"I'm telling you, the pipes he's got on him are _amazing_," Sebastian said. "Youtube doesn't lie. His show choir would've won if he hadn't choked, but I'm sure I can work on his confidence. He's eating out of the palm of my hand already."

He laughed derisively, and Hunter could hear Blaine sigh. "I don't need to hear the sordid details, Seb," he said. "Just make sure he joins."

"Oh, I will," Sebastian said. "We're going to kick Warbler ass at regionals, and I'm going to put Wesley fucking Montgomery in his place. Just sit back and let me take care of everything."

The coldness in his voice made it all too clear that his interest in Hunter was anything but romantic, and it _hurt_ a lot more than he thought it would. He'd made one friend in the months that he'd been here, and it turned out that he wasn't even really a friend at all.

Hunter was still rooted to the spot when Tina approached, and she offered him a friendly smile. "Hey, are you coming inside?" she asked. "I don't think we've been introduced—my name's Tina."

"I know who you are," Hunter said, flinching back as if struck. His mouth was so thin it was practically non-existent. "And you and the rest of your little diversity club can stay the _fuck_ away from me."

He didn't stay to see Tina's expression of outrage; he turned on his heel and practically fled down the hall.


End file.
